--- title: "The IRS Is Sending Stimulus Checks to Dead People" description: "The IRS is handing out $290 billion in cash payments as part of a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package. Some check recipients are already deceased." date: "2020-04-17" modified: "2020-04-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/irs-sending-stimulus-checks-dead-people" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "finance" - "the digest" --- # The IRS Is Sending Stimulus Checks to Dead People ![]() *\Image: Brett Sayles / Jon Christian / Victor Tangermann\* ## Dead Man's Treasure The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is in the process of handing out $290 billion in cash payments to many residents as part of the $2 trillion CARES Act stimulus bill, to aid those in need during the ongoing pandemic. But for a number of recipients, the money is coming in far too late — [according to *USA Today*](), some stimulus checks are going out to the deceased. "Ok this is insane, but just the tip of the iceberg," representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) [tweeted on Wednesday](), with a screenshot of a text message that read "Dad got his stimulus check of $1200. He died in 2018." ## Actually Happened Massie was able to "confirm this actually just happened" via a phone call. "We’re aware of all the survivor-related questions and we’re still working that issue," IRS spokesman Eric Smith said in [a statement](). It's unclear how many deceased people have gotten a check for $1,200 in the mail. ## Delayed Stats It's not the first time dead Americans have received funds from the government. The government sent out $18 million to deceased recipients as part of a $13 billion Obama-era stimulus package, [according to *CNBC*](). Experts believe the checks ended up being sent to the deceased because of delayed state death records that can sometimes take months or longer to be received by the Social Security Administration. **READ MORE:** [IRS sends coronavirus stimulus checks to dead people]() \[*CNBC*\] **More on the stimulus package:** *[Congress Proposes Paying Americans $2,000 Per Month]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()